22/05/2026
More information about the
PEAPODS & GILLYFLOWERS exhibition AND the accompanying GREENSLEEVES exhibition
Embroideries from the Lord Middleton loan collectin
A new exhibition offering a rare opportunity to see outstanding embroideries from the Lord Middleton Collection, in behind-the-scenes period rooms at Wollaton Hall. The late 16th, 17th and 18th century embroideries and garments are all associated with the Willoughby family who owned the hall from 1588 until 1925 and were made by family members as well as professional embroiderers.
Back in 1939 costume historian John Nevinson wrote of his disbelief that a collection ‘of first importance should have been publicly exhibited for fifty years and yet have been passed over’. Nearly 100 years later these textiles are still relatively unknown. In recent years this has been partly due to the closure of the Museum of Costume and Textiles on Castle Gate in Nottingham back in 2009. Since then, the textiles have been held in storage at Newstead Abbey, with only an occasional short-term outing to the Castle Museum for a select few objects. This exhibition explores fourteen items from the collection, made largely between 1580 and 1650.
A particularly unusual object is a piece of textile armour, called a jack, which is associated with Sir Hugh Willoughby, the arctic explorer who perished at sea during a failed attempt to discover the North East Passage in the 1550s. The jack is reinforced with discs of horn. Ninya Mikhaila arranged to have X-ray images taken of the garment at the Queen’s Medical Centre and these revealed that the discs may have been cut from antlers taken from deer at Wollaton Park.
The exhibition marks 100 years of Wollaton Hall opening as a Natural History Museum and the exhibits have been selected for their inclusion of imagery from the natural world. They are beautifully displayed in the Middleton Suite, once library to Lord Middleton and not usually open to the public. A selection of richly illustrated botanical books have been chosen to compliment the textiles, making it an absolute joy of a display.
Peapods & Gillyflowers opened at Wollaton hall on Saturday 23 May and will be on display until Sunday 1 November 2026.
Visit https://wollatonhall.org.uk/exhibition-peapods-and-gillyflowers/ for opening hours.
CTLOAN 3/2
Cape-collar (1600-1625), white linen embroidered in black silk thread with interlacing pattern and scalloped scrolls, trimmed with white bobbin-made lace. Photo: Nottingham City Museums and Galleries
CTLOAN 3/24 Cushion-cover (1600-1650), cream satin, embroidered in coloured silks and gold and silver threads with spangles. Photo: Nottingham City Museums and Galleries
CTLOAN 3/7 Coif (1600-1625), white linen, embroidered in red, green and black silk with barberries and trimmed
with bobbin-made lace edging. Photo: Nottingham City Museums and Galleries
The Greensleeves Project
Almost 450 years after the most famous English historical songs, the ballad of Greensleeves, first caught the attention of the Elizabethan public, The Greensleeves Project, headed by early music historian Tamsin Lewis
brought historians, musicians and makers together to ask: Who was Greensleeves - and what might she have worn?
The gifts given to Greensleeves document not only the clothing of the 1580s but also fabrics, embroidery, and
many other aspects of material culture. The extraordinary wealth of evidence contained in the song’s 18 verses has formed the basis of an ambitious reconstruction of sixteenth century dress, including the famous green
gown with ‘sleeues of Satten hanging by’ made by Ninya Mikhaila. The exhibition showcases the clothing and
accessories reconstructed for The Greensleeves Project, alongside a range of information about the social and
historical context of the song and its elements.
The exhibition will be at Wollaton Hall from Saturday 23 May to Sunday 1 November 2026 and includes a textile handling display, and an opportunity to view films made on the subject of Greensleeves by YouTuber and author Bernadette Banner.
Photo: Still from the Greensleeves film by Bernadette Banner
https://wollatonhall.org.uk/exhibition-greensleeves/
